Fate of Somali govt placed in parliament's hands

By Richard Lough
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - An east African regional bloc called on Monday for Somalia's parliament to have its term extended beyond its August deadline and be tasked with deciding the fate of the interim government.
At the same meeting on the sidelines of an African Union (AU) summit, Jean Ping, chairman of the AU Commission, accused Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of "non performance" and making little headway in restoring stability.
An Islamist insurgency has seen the government do little more than battle for survival, while tens of thousands of civilians have been killed over the past four years.
Under the terms of a 2009 deal, the TFG's mandate expires on August 20, by which time it should have enacted a new constitution and held a parliamentary election.
"The Assembly reached a consensus on the urgent need to extend the term of the current Transitional Federal Parliament while the remaining political dispensation be handled by the people of Somalia," the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) said in a statement.
A senior IGAD source said that meant parliament would decide whether to elect a new leader or allow President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed to remain in office and form a new government.
Somalia's foreign minister told reporters at the summit that the two-month old government headed by Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed had made security gains in the capital Mogadishu and in the fight against corruption.Read More